Power converters may generally include switches and one or more capacitors. Such converters are used, for example, to power portable electronic-devices and consumer electronics.
A switch-mode power converter is a specific type of power converter that regulates an output voltage or current by switching energy-storage elements (i.e., inductors and capacitors) into different electrical configurations using a switching network.
A switched capacitor converter is a type of switch-mode power converter that primarily uses capacitors to transfer energy. In such converters, the number of capacitors and switches increases as the transformation ratio increases.
Switches in the switching network are usually active devices that are implemented with transistors. The switching network may be integrated on a single semiconductor substrate or on multiple monolithic semiconductor substrates. Alternatively, the switching network may be formed using discrete devices. Furthermore, because a switch normally carries a large current, it may be composed of numerous smaller switches in parallel.